New Song
by megabyte
Summary: The guardian of imagination's story...
1. Prologue

I am sitting in a tree, watching a rainstorm come in from the east. The birds have fallen silent, and the first few drops begin to fall, gradually increasing to a deluge. I lift my face to the overcast sky; I love these precious moments, where the rain comes down around me and I am safe in my tree. I close my eyes, my heart beating with the patter of the raindrops on the leaves around me, and I forget the world, with all its problems and struggles and disappointments. I become one with the rain, with the clouds, with the trees, with the wind. I take a deep breath, the scent of rain heavy in the air.

_Melody..._

I open my eyes and look down. I am all alone here, high in the tallest tree in the woods. So who called my name? It was a voice I didn't recognize, a child's voice... It must have just been my imagination. I close my eyes again, feeling the beat of the raindrops penetrating my thoughts, my mind, my heart, my soul-

And then there was an electric _crash_ and my world went dark.


	2. Chapter 1

The first thing I remember is falling. Falling and falling and falling, like Alice down the rabbit hole, and then suddenly, I wasn't. I was swooping, rising, flying. My eyes opened, and the world was dark and blurry at first, but I blinked a couple of times, and there I was, gliding through the night, the stars above me, a tiny moonlit town below me. I soared higher and higher, rising above a few fluffy clouds, joy rising in my chest. The moon was full and I reached out and tried to touch it. Such hugeness, such beauty was all around me, and I hovered in midair for a moment, utterly overwhelmed in such a wonderful way.

Then I saw the town, far below, and spiraled down to get a closer look. Tiny streets, then houses, then streetlights came into view. My feet met the ground and I stumbled, not used to standing yet. In the process I looked down at myself, at my hands and feet. My long black hair and pale skin had a shimmery, transparent quality that faded in and out, like a ghost. I had on a simple gray shirt and a plain skirt of the same color that came down past my knees, with a pair of flat gray shoes on my feet. They all had the same slight transparency of my skin. It was all very comfortable, but something about it wasn't right... I ran my fingers along the bottom of my shirt, and to my amazement colors followed my fingers- red, purple, green, shades of yellow and blue- and something awakened deep inside me. I knelt to the ground and began drawing patterns on the sidewalk with my fingers- mountain scenes, abstract shapes, people, animals, trees. My heart swelled with joy. _This is what I am meant to do,_ I thought. I drew and drew, my fingers barely touching the ground, until the first shades of dawn began to flood the sky. Then I floated upwards, taking in my handiwork. It was an absolute explosion of color, and it made me very happy. The birds started to sing, and I sang with them, my voice rising in the morning light.

The moon slowly sank below the horizon, but before it disappeared it told me something.

My name is Melody. I know, because the moon told me.


	3. Chapter 2

I wandered the streets of the town for a while after the sun came up. I wanted to use my new talent- my fingers were practically itching with nervous energy. I passed an old elementary school with about a dozen faded school buses in front of it, carrying children of every shape and size. I was drawn to them- perhaps they could tell me where I am.

I dragged my fingertips along the sides of the buses, causing the yellow paint to brighten and shine. Following the crowd of children to the playground at the side of the school, I stood entranced as they ran and played and laughed as only kids can. A smile spread across my face as I floated over the chain-link fence and tried to grab someone's attention.

"Uh, excuse me," I said as one little boy rocketed past me. He hadn't seemed to hear me. I tried someone else and got the same reaction.

"They can't see you, mate," a distinctly Australian voice said gently behind me. I whipped around and there he was- a tall, gray... rabbit? I stood speechless. He smirked.

"What's the matter? Never heard of the Easter Bunny?"

Slowly I found my voice. "I didn't think you would be this..." I searched for the right word. "Not-fluffy?"

He grinned. "Thank ya, mate. So anyway, you're new to this whole thing, huh? Old Manny told us you'd be around here somewhere. Actually, let me introduce myself. Name's E. Aster Bunnymund. The rest just call me Bunny." He held out a large paw in greeting.

"I'm Melody," I said, shaking his paw. I noticed in his other paw he held a strange glass sphere. "What's that?"

"What, this?" He said, holding it up for me to see. I nodded. "This is a snowglobe. Check this out-" He threw it at the wall, but instead of shattering, it grew into what looked like a sort of swirly portal. "Its North's. You know, Santa Claus? He and the rest are just through that portal. They've been dying to meet you."

"Who's the rest?" I asked.

"Sandy, Tooth, North, and Jack. Or Sandman, Tooth Fairy, Santa, and Jack Frost if you want their full names." I stared into the portal, my mind spinning. "So, whatta ya say- you wanna meet 'em?"

I stood there for a moment, thinking.

"Why not," I finally replied.

"Great! Come on, then," he said, walking over to the portal and gesturing. "Ladies first."

"Uh..."

"Don't worry, its completely safe."

"O-okay, then." I closed my eyes and took a step-

And with a stomach-turning lurch, I was through.


End file.
